Filing drawer



" Jan. 22, 1946. w. A. HORNE 2,393,536

FILING DRAWER F'il-e dnAug. "r, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 22, 1946. w. A. HORNYEI FILING DRAWER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 7, 1944 WAZZTOWILQ .4 i Z IIIIUII, u. K Z J K al w m 1 z w 7 Z, 1|| i N IN V EN TOR.

Patented Jan. 22, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FILING DRAWER William ome; Atlanta, Ga. Application August '7, 1944, Serial No. 548,335

1 Claim.

This invention relates to drawers such as used in filing cabinets.

It is the general practice to provide drawers of this type with plates constituting followers which serve to hold the contents of the drawer compactly assembled and, in addition to this follower plate there have been used guides for dividing the contents into groups. Generally these guides, as well as the followers, have been mounted on a longitudinally extended rod and, before any of the guides or the followers could be removed or placed in position, it has always been necessary to remove the rod, carefully insert it into these parts, and then secure it.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simplified construction whereby the guides can quickly be placed in and removed from position without disturbing the rod on which the follower is mounted.

A still further object is to provide guides which, after being placed in position, will be properly held until such time as further adjustment might be desired and will keep the contents of the drawer from collapsing.

A still further object is to so construct the 1 drawer as to give access to the contents thereof from the top and side instead of from the top only as heretofore.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, 1

the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a cabinet equipped with a drawer such as constitutes the present invention, said drawer being shown partly open and having parts broken away.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on line Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the guides.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, A designates a portion of a cabinet in which any desired number of drawers can be mounted. One of these drawers has been indioated at B and includes a front panel I, a side panel 2 and a bottom 3, all rigidly joined. That side of the bottom 3 remote from the side 2 has an upwardly extended longitudinal flange 4 the top portion of which is inturned, as at 5, and can have a downwardly extended free edge portion 6 if so desired. This flange 4 is extended only a short distance above the level of the bottom 3 so that the remainder of that side of the drawer is open to afford convenient access to the contents of the drawer.

As is the common practice, a rod C is extended longitudinally of the drawer from the front panel thereof and has a follower D mounted thereon.

Formed in the side wall 2 are upper and lower parallel series of small apertures l and 8, these apertures being spaced apart any distance desired, it merely being preferred to have the corresponding apertures of the two series in vertical alinement. In the top of the inturned portion or ledge 5 on flange 4 is another longitudinal series of small apertures 9. These are spaced apart the same distances as are the apertures 8 and are located directly opposite them. Furthermore the apertures 8 are at a distance from the bottom 3 of the drawer substantially equal to the distance of the top of ledge 5 from said bottom.

The follower D is mounted and operated in the usual or any preferred way and, in itself, constitutes no part of the present invention. The guides, however, are made up of thin plates ID of suitable rigidity. One side of each of thes'e plates can be curved downwardly as at II to one of the lower corner portions of the plate from which is extended a short stud l2. The other side of the plate, however, is preferably perpendicular to the bottom edge of the plate and is provided at its upper and lower ends with laterally extending lugs l3 and M. These lugs are so proportioned as to be inserted readily into the openings 1 and 8 while the lug l2 is proportioned for insertion into one of the openings 9.

In practice any desired number of these guides can be used and it is intended to place them any desired distance apart. The lugs l3 and M are inserted into selected openings 1 and 8 while the lug I2 is lowered into the corresponding opening 9. Thus the guide will be supported in an upstanding position and as it is of a suitably rigid material, it will serve as an excellent means for dividing the contents of the drawer into separate groups. As the drawer is open at one side, these groups of material can be reached readily from the side of the drawer when said drawer is in open position as shown in Figures 1 and 2, thereby expediting the handling of material. Furthermore the .guides can be shifted to different positions without the necessity of removing the rod C. It will be noted that the guides Ill, while in use, are spaced from the bottom 3 of the drawer B and that the openings provided for the lugs l2, l3 and M are so located that there is no danger of their becoming clogged by small particles of paper or other material which might be freed from the other contents of the drawer and interfere with the rapid positioning of the guides.

To remove a guide it is merely necessary to spring its lug or stud I2 out of the opening 9 in which it is seated and thereafter withdraw the studs 13 and H from the openings in which they are located. The guide can be replaced by reversing this operation.

What is claimed is:

A drawer for filing cabinets including a side wall, a front panel and a bottom, a flange along that side of the bottom remote from the side wall, said flange providing a supporting ledge, there being a series of spaced openings in the top of the ledge, said side wall being provided with upper and lower series of similarly spaced openings, and a guide proportioned to rest against the apertured side wall and to rest on the ledge, and studs extending from the guide and positioned for insertion into openings in said wall and ledge, thereby to anchor the guide to the drawer and support the guide with its lower edge spaced from the bottom of the drawer, all of the stud receiwng apertures being positioned above the level of the drawer bottom and at the sides thereof.

WILLIAM A. HORNE. 

